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Dan Barlow:

The 6 is a disaster waiting to happen. Actually, everything is. I lead the 8 and pair dealer's 7 if he scores 15-2. If he pairs my 8 I have problems, but I'll probably assume he doesn't have a 7, and thus play my 6.

John Chambers:

This is a tough hand because no matter what you do your opponent will get points with the right cards. Let's look at your options. If you lead the 6 and you opponent pair it, takes a 15-2 with a 9, you are left with two bad choices. Either you have to throw the 8 in which case your opponent could throw another 8 for 31-4 or play a 7 for 30-4, or else you could play a 7, giving up a 29-3 to a 7 or a 30-4 to an 8.

If you lead the 8 and your opponent pairs it, you are stuck. You will have to play the 6 and hope he has no 7. If you lead the 8 and your opponent gets a 15, you either have to pair and set up a possible 29-6, or you could play the 6, get a three-card run and set up your opponent for a four-card run or a 31. At least you get a few points with this option.

If you lead a 7 and dealer fifteens it, you are basically in the same situation as above. But if you lead the 7 and he pairs you, you can get a pairs royal for six points. He may have the fourth 7 but it's not likely. I like leading a 7 as the best option because your opponent will not outscore you that much if indeed he does.

DeLynn Colvert:

I most always lead the 8, except when my opponent is in the position of pairing any lead. When he needs crash offense deep on Fourth Street to win the game, I lead from the pair of 7s.

George Rasmussen:

When leading middle cards to dealer, it makes sense to lead from strength. That would suggest leading a 7. Another strategy to employ when leading such cards is to count the cards that could score on your lead. In that case the 7 and 8 are equal, with dealer's 7-7-8-8-8 that can score. If dealer has middle cards, you're not likely to fare well no matter how you lay them down.

Michael Schell:

As with 6-6-7-8, the conventional wisdom has long favored leading the 8 from 6-7-7-8, whereas the bots have always favored leading from the pair. Human masters point out that if dealer scores a 15-2 on your lead, things are much less awkward if your lead was the 8, since you then have a pretty safe pair to take. But as I've pointed out before, modern players are increasingly likely to pair an 8 lead holding 7-8 (since it gives up far fewer retaliatory cards, and if pone does triple the 8, the 7 covers for 31-2). And leading from your pair, you'll occasionally score a quick bonanza by tripling dealer. (This can happen more often than you might think — dealer could have a bust hand, or be trapped holding something like 5-5-6-7). Furthermore, bots like HALSCRIB dread having to deal with a 5 reply, which could lead to something like this:

⁸  ₅  ⁶  _{6 (25-2)  6 (31-8)}    ⁷  ₄  ^7 (18-1)

⁸  ₅  ⁷  _{6 (26-4)  4 (30-6)}    ⁷  _K  ^7 (24-1)

I suspect HALSCRIB and the other bots are right about this hand, and that the carbon-based ones have been wrong, so I recommend you experiment with leading a 7.

Regardless of whether you lead a 7 or 8, it's worth knowing what to do if dealer replies with a ten-card. Drop the 6 next! This gives dealer a shot at both at 31-2 and a pair, but if he started with A-A-4-x, A-2-3-x or 2-2-3-x, you'll get to run the 7s on the second play series. That's better odds than hoping to trap a 5 with your 6-7, a ploy that leaves you vulnerable to the following catastrophe:

⁸  _x  ⁷  _6 (31-2)    ⁷  ₄  ⁶  _5 (22-5)

⁷  _x  ⁸  _6 (31-2)    ⁷  ₄  ⁶  _5 (22-5)

Phyllis Schmidt:

Lead the 8. Anytime you lead a 7, you're giving your opponent a chance at 31-5:

⁷  _8 (15-2)  ^6 (21-3)  _9 (30-4)  ^"Go"  ₍₁₎

Peter Setian:

I would probably handle 6-7-7-8 the same as 6-6-7-8. I might consider opponent's position and lead a 7 if dealer is aggressive for pegs and more likely to pair (when they don't have both 7-8). Otherwise I'd lead the 8 if opponent is in a defensive position and not likely to pair. Either way, I would take my chances and pair the next card if 15 was made (unless I'm desperate for pegs, in which case I'd then lead the 7 and just take the three-card run if 15 was made).

HALSCRIB:

On any street other than Fourth I would lead a 7, which is best for offense or defense. On Fourth Street I might lead the 6 to minimize dealer's chance of winning on that deal, say if the score were 95-95*.

Panelists

Dan Barlow won the 1980 National Open Cribbage Tournament, and made the 1985 All American Cribbage Team. His cribbage strategy articles appeared in Cribbage World for many years, and can be seen on the ACC Web site. He also provides strategy tips at MSN Gaming Zone. He has written seven books on cribbage, two of which have been glowingly reviewed in Games Magazine. All, including his latest book Winning Cribbage Tips, are available at The Cribbage Bookstore.

John Chambers was one of the original founding members of the ACC. He is a Grand Master, winner of seven major tournaments, and author of Cribbage: A New Concept, He also directs three annual tournaments: the Ocean State Cribbage Classic, New England Peer Championship and Charity Cribbage Challenge.